Withholding Tax Rates By Country For Foreign Stock Dividends

One of the factors that investors need to consider when investing in foreign stocks is taxes since it reduces the effective rate of return on an investment. Governments of most countries try to recoup millions in taxes from dividends that are paid to foreign investors by companies located in their countries. For example, when a U.S.-based investor invests in France Telecom (NYSE:TEF) ADRs, the French government will deduct 25% in taxes on all dividends paid. Hence, though TEF currently has a 6.98% dividend yield, the actual yield that this investor receives will be less. However, the IRS allows a foreign tax credit (filed with IRS Form #1116) to be taken using which this investor can deduct the taxes paid to the French government. This is done to avoid double taxation of dividends. There is a maximum limit to this tax credit.

A few countries do not charge any taxes on dividends paid to foreign investors. So foreign investors receive the entire dividends paid by companies based in those countries. For example, the U.K. charges no taxes on dividends paid by British companies (excluding REITS) to U.S. investors. So an investor in National Gird Plc (NYSE:NGG) will receive the complete dividends paid at the current dividend yield of 4.68%.

The table below lists the countries that have no withholding taxes on dividends paid to U.S. residents:

S.No.

Country

Tax Withholding Rate for Dividends

1

Argentina

0.00%

2

Bahrain

0.00%

3

China - Red Chips

0.00%

4

Colombia

0.00%

5

Croatia

0.00%

6

Cyprus

0.00%

7

Egypt

0.00%

8

Estonia

0.00%

9

Hong Kong - Local Shares ^

0.00%

10

India

0.00%

11

Jordan

0.00%

12

Mauritius

0.00%

13

Oman

0.00%

14

Qatar

0.00%

15

Singapore

0.00%

16

Slovakia

0.00%

17

South Africa

0.00%

18

Tunisia

0.00%

19

UK

0.00%

20

UAE

0.00%

21

Vietnam

0.00%

Click to enlarge

The following table below shows the withholding tax rates by country on dividends paid to U.S. residents:

S.No.

Country

Withholding Tax Rate for Dividends

1

Australia

30.0%

2

Austria

25.0%

3

Bangladesh

15.0%

4

Belgium

25.0%

5

Bosnia

5.0%

6

Brazil

15.0%

7

Bulgaria

15.0%

8

Canada

15.0%

9

Chile

35.0%

10

China - A Shares*

10.0%

11

China - B Shares**

10.0%

12

China - C Shares***

10.0%

13

Czech Republic

15.0%

14

Denmark

28.0%

15

Finland

28.0%

16

France

25.0%

17

Germany

26.4%

18

Greece

10.0%

19

Hungary

10.0%

20

Iceland

15.0%

21

Indonesia

20.0%

22

Ireland

20.0%

23

Israel

20.0%

24

Italy

27.0%

25

Japan

10.0%

26

Kazakhstan

15.0%

27

Kenya

10.0%

28

Kuwait

15.0%

29

Latvia

10.0%

30

Lebanon

10.0%

31

Lithuania

15.0%

32

Luzembourg

15.0%

33

Macedonia

10.0%

34

Malaysia

25.0%

35

Malta

35.0%

36

Mexico

10.0%

37

Moroccco

10.0%

38

The Netherlands

15.0%

39

New Zealand

30.0%

40

Nigeria

10.0%

41

Norway

25.0%

42

Pakistan

10.0%

43

Peru

4.1%

44

Philippines

30.0%

45

Poland

19.0%

46

Portugal

20.0%

47

Romania

16.0%

48

Russia

15.0%

49

Saudi Arabia

5.0%

50

Serbia

20.0%

51

Slovenia

20.0%

52

South Korea

27.5%

53

Spain

19.0%

54

Sri Lanka

10.0%

55

Sweden

30.0%

56

Switzerland

35.0%

57

Taiwan

20.0%

58

Thailand

10.0%

59

Turkey

15.0%

60

UK - REITS only

20.0%

61

Ukraine

15.0%

Click to enlarge

*Companies incorporated in mainland China and listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen. These companies are quoted in Renminbi and are only available to Mainland and Qualified Foreign Institution Investors (QFII). ** Companies incorporated in mainland China and listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen. B-shares in Shanghai are traded in U.S. dollars, while B-shares in Shenzhen are traded in Hong Kong dollars. B-shares are available to mainland and foreign investors. ***Companies incorporated in mainland China and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. ^Companies incorporated in Hong Kong and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Source: Dow Jones Indexes, Other

Note: Please note that the above information is known to be accurate from the sources used. These rates do not apply to non-U.S. residents. Consult with a tax adviser before making any investment decisions.

Some points to remember before investing in foreign stocks:

1. Germany charges 26.4% tax on dividends only on stocks held in taxable accounts. Due to the tax-treaty between U.S. and Germany, Germany does not deduct any taxes on dividends paid by German firms to U.S. investors who hold the stock in their IRA and other qualified pension accounts.

2. The following countries have tax-treaties with the U.S. which allows favorable treatment of dividends earned by US investors investing in those countries:

Without the tax treaties U.S investors will pay higher taxes.The Netherlands has a statutory tax rate of 25%. But due to the special tax treaty with the U.S., American investors in Dutch companies are charged only 15% as shown in the table above.

3. It is generally not advisable to hold foreign dividend-paying ADRs in IRAs and other non-taxable accounts since one cannot recover the taxes paid to a foreign country.

4. Canada charges a 15% tax on dividends held in non-taxable accounts. But due to a policy change in 2009, dividends and interest income are exempt from this 15% tax if the investments are held in IRA or 401(K) accounts. So U.S. investors can hold Canadian banks such as bank of Novo Scotia (NYSE:BNS), Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) or other dividend-paying stocks like Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) in their IRAs for the long-term without worrying about taxes on dividends.

5. Though the above table shows that Chile has a 35% withholding tax rate, in my personal accounts the depository has deducted only about 22% in taxes on my Chilean dividends. This could be due to any recent change in Chilean tax laws.

For more information about U.S. tax treaties with other countries refer to the Publication 901 on the IRS web site.